Nowhere did Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu see that the historical normalization “Abraham Accord” it has signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could end up in relinquishing its unparalleled military domination in the Middle East.
Stealthier Than F-22 Raptors & Faster Than F-35s – Why Did The US Reject World’s Stealthiest Fighter Jet?
The normalization accord that has been brokered by US President Donald Trump and his Senior Advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, has paved a way for UAE to now extend their hands on the much-coveted F-35 fighter jets, which had so far been exclusively supplied to Israel in the region.
However, with Israel now reluctantly giving its consent for the UAE to become the first Arab nation to have access to the fighters, Netanyahu has slyly attached a string in the name of its growing military friendship with the US—a string that might just force Trump or his successor in selling the exclusive— F-22 Raptor fighter jet.
The UAE and some of the other Arab nations have had their sights on the US F-35 stealth fighters long before the peace deal with Israel, with Netanyahu repeatedly obstructing any potential sale of the fighter jets, stating that the supply of arms was not part of the deal.
However, following a meeting between the US Defence Secretary Mark Esper and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Israel is said to have conceded defeat and approved the sale of the fighters to the UAE, with Netanyahu still taking a dig over how his homeland was kept in the dark over the possibility of such a deal.
“Only after signing the agreement, the Americans told us that the UAE, which always asks for F-35s, is asking permission from us to consider this thing practically,” said Netanyahu.
Israel however, is in no mood to surrender power to the UAE, with the country’s defense officials confirming that it has asked senior US officials to consider removing barriers standing in the way of a sale of the lethal F-22 Raptors to the Israeli Air Force, as they look to restore air superiority in the region.
A senior Israeli official, while speaking in a closed meeting, said,
“Our qualitative advantage is narrowing with respect to planes, drones, armament, and air defense systems,”
The pace of change in the Middle East is high. It’s a different Middle East from what it was in the last decade, and many countries that are not in direct conflict with Israel are investing huge sums to build some of the most advanced air forces and air defense systems in the world.”
This is not the first time Israeli officials have raised the possibility of buying the Raptors, with Netanyahu having looked to add more steel to its ranks which already boasts the F-35s and F-16s.
However, all of its approaches have been turned down by the Pentagon along with the requests by other countries which include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even China.
The sale of the F-22 Raptors to any foreign military is banned by federal law, under the “Obey Amendment”, which states – “None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to approve or license the sale of F-22 advanced tactical fighter to any foreign government.”
The law was devised by Congressman Dave Obey who feared that the fighter’s technologies could be leaked to countries like Russia and China.
However, with the fresh requests up in the air by Israel, there has been no comment from any official United States sources, which leaves doubts over a potential transfer of the US exclusive fighters to Jerusalem.
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet is a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, fifth-generation, stealth, multi-role fighter, bracketed under one of the world’s most lethal fighters due to the tremendous amount of cutting-edge technology used to develop them.
The fighter is developed by two of the world’s biggest aerospace giants, with prime contractor Lockheed Martin building its airframe and weapons systems while also catering for its distribution and Boeing providing the fighter with wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.
What makes the F-22 a beast up in the air is the ultimate combination of stealth and aerodynamic performance, enabling it to possess unmatched fighting capabilities against other fighters.
